Machinery for dressing ore



Aug. 21, 1962 F. E. DRA PER MACHINERY FOR DRESSING ORE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 7, 1960 Aug. 21, 1962 F. E. DRAPER MACHINERY FOR DRESSING ORE5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 7, 1960 h l l I N Aug. 21, 1962 F. E. DRAPER3,050,265

MACHINERY FOR DRESSING ORE Filed June 7, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 3,050,265MACHINERY FOR DRESSING ORE Frank Edwin Draper, Greigs Flats, viaPambula, New

South Wales, Australia, assignor to Draper Multi-Disc Mining ProcessesPty. Limited, Sydney, Australia Filed June 7, 1960, Ser. No. 34,557Claims priority, application Australia June 29, 1959 7 Claims. (Cl.241l07) This invention relatm to machinery for the concentrating ofminerals contained in ore and especially for minerals finely dispersedin a matrix and which have to be recovered subsequently as fine dust,either by the known mechanical process of flotation or the heavy-lightsystem in moving water or by a chemical process.

The mechanical process in use requires a multiplicity and a variety ofmachines according to the physical state of the ore. After being crushedto reduce the ore to a size around /2 there are needed rolls, ball-millswith classifiers, flotation cells and settling tanks. All this apparatus has to be linked by pipes and pumps, and positioned in the rightplace on scafiolding and requires attendance, maintenance andsupervision.

The object of this invention is to incorporate in one machine treatmentfrom an ore-pebble size of about A2" down to the finished concentrate ofa screen size of about 200 mesh. This means the combination of machinerynecessary to extract a concentrate of the desired mineral from the oreand to separate the gangue, to be either discarded or to be furthertreated for mineral components.

The invention in a general form is an ore dressing mill comprising acontinuous channel, the channel floor having a substantially flat smoothsurface, a series of circumferentially spaced groups of independentlyrotatable crushing rollers in the channel, the rollers of each groupbeing radially spaced flat discs, means for moving the groups around thechannel, the rollers of each group being staggered radially in relationto those of other groups to ensure that ore in the channel is crushedbetween the rollers and the wearing strip for the full channel width,means for feeding ore to the channel, means for feeding water to thechannel, means for withdrawing water and selected fines from the channelat selected levels and means for withdrawing wet concentrates from thechannel.

One form of the invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan view of one form of the invention withcertain parts omitted for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical diametral section of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view showing a section of the channel on line 33of FIGURE 1 FIGURE 4 is a further enlargement corresponding to FIGURE 3but for clockwise rotation;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a radial vertical section on line 66 of FIGURE 1 showing thedriving means;

'FIGURE 7 is a side sectional elevation on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 4showing the mechanism for controlling the liquid discharge pipe shown atthe right hand side of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 8 is a view showing the means for feeding ore to the channel.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 8, the channel 13 is of reinforced concreteand has an outer wall 14, an inner wall 15 and a floor 16. The floor hasa manganese steel lining or wearing strip 17. One or more openings 18are formed through the floor and each may be covered by a grid 19. Aboveeach grid is a removable section 17a of the lining 17. The joint betweenthe section 17A and the floor is made watertight. One or more L-shapedoutlet pipes 20 open at each end are circumferentially spaced around theinner wall 15. The horizontal leg 22 of each pipe is rotatably mountedin a liquid tight bush 23 fitted tightly in a passage through the walland the vertical leg 24 of the pipe is located in a recess 25 in theinside of the wall. The pipe may be rotated about the axis of its leg 22by means of a lever 21. In this way the height of the inlet end of theleg 24- can be varied and with it the liquid level in the channel.

A shallow pan bounded by the inner wall 15 has a floor 26 integral withthe channel, the top level of the floor 26 being below the level of thefloor 16. A valved outlet 27 through the floor 26 is provided at itslowest point.

A central hub or post 28 is located at the centre of the floor 26.Sixteen sets 29 of discs and axles are equally spaced around thecircumference of the channel 13 with the discs resting on the floor ofthe channel. Each axle 30 has independently rotatably mounted on itsimilar cast iron discs 31 with manganese steel tires 31A. Each disc hastwo integral half spacers 32 which separate the discs. Each axle endpasses through a hole 33 in one end of an arm 34 pin-connected at itsother end to a bracket 35 mounted on a ring 41 connected to the outerend of a spider arm 36. The inner ends of the arm 36 are connected to acollar 37 rotatably mounted on suitable bearings on the upper end of thehub 28. Paddles 36A suspended from the spider arms 36 keep slimes in thepan 26 in suspension. Circumferential spaced pedestals 38 are mounted onand around each wall 14, 15. Each pedestal carries a rotatable jockeyroller 39. Each line of rollers supports a flat inner ring 40 or outerring 41. The ring 41 carries a rack 4-2 meshing with a pinion 43 driventhrough gears by a motor 44. The rings 40, 41 also carry the brackets 35to which the other ends of the arms 34 are pin-connected. The outer endsof the spider arms 36 are also connected to the rings 40, 41.

Each end of each axle has loosely mounted on it a plough arm 46 whichcanries on its other end a trailing ploughshare 47 which rests on thechannel fioo-r and continually scrapes material being treated from thechannel sides towards the centre.

An important feature of the invention is that corresponding discs ofadjacent sets 29 are relatively displaced radially so that as far aspracticable the whole area of the channel is covered radially by onegroup of four axles carrying five discs each.

A moving teed hopper 48 (FIGURE 8) is supported on, above and betweenthe rings 40 and 41 and moves with them. It has a floor opening whichmay be partly or completely closed for example by a displaceablecontrolled shutter. Ore or other material to be treated is fed from afixed storage hopper 49 down a chute 50 with transverse gates 51 whichcontrol the amount of material which is allowed to fall through thecontrolled chute out let 52 each time the hopper 48 passes under 52.

Water may be fed into the channel in various ways. In one casecircumierentially spaced radial pipes are located above the channel andwater is sprayed obliquely into the channel and against the discsthrough spaced holes or spray outlets in each pipe. The radial pipes areconnected to a common pipe having a valve to control the amount of Waterfed to the channel.

In use the sets of axles and associated discs are set in motion aroundthe ring shaped channel 13. Ore or other material to be treated is fedthrough the hopper 49, down the chute 50 and into the hopper 48, eachtime 48 passes under the lower end of the chute 50. The discs crush theore as they roll over it and the crushed ore mixes with the water fedinto the channel. It the required degree of disintegration of the orehas been achieved the water containing fine slimes in suspension is runE by turning the pipe 21 until its inlet end is below the liquid level.The slimes accumulate in the pan and are kept in suspension by thepaddles 36A carried by the arm 36. The slurry in the pan can be run ofithrough the passage 27 at interval-s, either to Waste or for furthertreatment.

The heavier material mixing with the water in the channel 13 can beremoved at intervals, by lifting sections 17A covering the grids 113 andpermitting the mixture of heavy material and water to flow away. Themixture can then be subjected to further treatment.

In amodification the arms 36 may be eliminated and circumferentiallyspaced radial straps provided to hold the tracks 4%, 41 together. Forcorrectly =locating the tracks, rollers on vertical axles are spacedalong and bear against the inner edge of the inner track, 48.

The tnack connecting straps also serve to support the hoppers 48. Alimited number of radial arms 36 may still be required, supported at 37and on 40, 41, to carry the stirring paddles 36A.

An alternative means for moving the rollers is to provide fixed rails onthe channel walls instead of the tracks 40, 41 and to run on the nailsone or more motor driven trolleys, each of which tows one or more groupsof rollers.

For dry crushing ores the means for feeding water and removing water,selected fines and wet concentrates are not required.

In an alternative means for feeding ore to the channel thereare-provided a bulk storage bin, [a conveyor belt, a fixed bin below theconveyor at one point and moveable bins supported on the tracks andextending into the channel. Spaced vertical deflectors immediately abovethe belt and above the fixed bin distribute ore to be crushed from theconveyor into the fixed bin and along its length. The bottom of thefixed bin is closed by a counter weighted door and the bin is locatedabove the channel with the counter weighted end in the path of a trip orcam carried on each mo-veable bin. As each moveable bin reaches thefixed hin, the door of the latter is opened and ore passes into themoveable bin.

Each moveable bin may be located, 'for example, between adjacent groupsof rollers. Its bottom is similarly movably closed by a counterweigh-ted door which is automatically opened at intervals as required bycam means as before.

What I claim is:

1. An ore dressing mill comprising a continuous chan nel, the channelfioor having a substantially fiat smooth surface, a series ofcircumferentially spaced groups of independently rotatable crushingrollers in the channel,

the rollers of each group being radially spaced fiat discs, means formoving the groups around the channel, the rollers of each group beingstaggered radially in relation to those of other groups to ensure thatore in the channel is crushed between the rollers and the wearing stripfor the full channel width, means for feeding ore to the channel, meansfor feeding water to the channel, means for withdrawing Water andselected fines from the channel at selected levels and means forwithdrawing wet concentrates from the channel.

2. A mill as in claim 1 wherein each group of discs is connected to thegroup moving means so as to permit up and down movement of the group asit passes around the channel.

3. A mill as in claim 1 wherein the channel is circular and has radiallyspaced walls, each group of disc rollers comprises radially spaced discson a radial axle and the group moving means comprise ring tracksrotata'oly supported on the respective channel Walls, each axle beinglinked at its respective ends to the tracks and means for rotating .thetracks.

4. A mill as in claim 3 wherein the means for rotating the tracksinclude a rack secured to at least one of the tracks, a fixed pinionmeshing with the rack and means for rotating the pinion.

5. A mill as in claim 3 wherein each axle is linked to the respectivetracks by similar spaced arms, each pivotal-1y connected at one end tothe axle near one end and near its other end to the corresponding track.

6. A mill as in claim 1 wherein the water and fines withdrawing meanscomprise a recess in the inside fiace of one channel wall, anapproximately horizontal passage leading through the Wall from therecess to outside the Wall, an L shaped pipe with one leg in the recessand the other leg rotatably mounted in the passage in substantiallyfluid tight fashion and means for rotating the pipe about the axis ofthe passage.

7. A mill as in claim 1 wherein the means for Withdrawing Water andconcentnates includes one or more passages below the channel fioor, anda removable section of .the floor above each passage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNewcomb et al Dec. 12, 1950

